


Light As a Feather

by Shadowsingeraxolotl



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Badass Katara (Avatar), Badass Sokka (Avatar), Badass Toph Beifong, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, Crew as Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), I'm Not Ashamed, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, No Smut, Not Beta Read, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Azula (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, Sorry Not Sorry, Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Swearing, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Being Awesome, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:09:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowsingeraxolotl/pseuds/Shadowsingeraxolotl
Summary: As soon as the angry fire child started throwing fire at her, who had done nothing to deserve it, Aella knew that the spirits had a sick sense of humor and had chosen her as their new target.How right she was.For the next two years, she travelled the world and bonded with her new friends, especially the angry fire child who turned out to be the banished Crown Prince of the Fire Nation whose only way home was to find and capture the Avatar.So everything got spectacularly more interesting the day a massive beam of energy shot into the sky
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azulon & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), The Gaang & Yue (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, Zuko & Zuko's Crew (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	1. The Spirits have a wicked sense of humor

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a very long time coming. 
> 
> I wanted to first thank a couple of other creators for letting me use their ideas as groundwork for me to build off of and creating those wonderful pieces of writing that served as inspiration. 
> 
> I just want to thank Muffinlance for letting me/anyone else use the crew of the Wani and any or all of their characteristics.
> 
> Haicrescendo for some scenes and techniques used by Aella, Sokka, and Zuko at the Western Air Temple and before
> 
> TheTartWitch for the AU relationship between Zuko and Azulon (Platonically, I hate that I have to make that clear but people are going to get weird about it so... 
> 
> Sealure for a few scenes set after The Boiling Rock
> 
> I just wanted to put up a disclaimer that I don't own anything from Avatar The Last Airbender. A:TLA belongs its respective owners and this and any stories I might write on the matter are for entertainment use only and I am not gaining any sort of financial benefits whatsoever.

Contrary to popular belief, Aella never really thought her fate would become the proverbial punching bag for a group of ridiculously powerful spirits who were so bored and high off of the incense that the people of her world burned as offerings on shrines or during prayer, that they decided, ‘ _Hey, why not fuck around with this puny mortal, it’ll be fun_ ’.

Well, that changed after she decided she would take a break from her training to meditate upon one of the rock spires that surrounded the Eastern Air Temple where she had taken up residency along with the _eccentric_ Guru Pathik, who had offered to instruct her how to become in tune with the spirits in order to airbend properly. 

_“You could master all airbending forms, landing perfectly at the exact time, exact place, and with the exact posture without a hair out of place, and you would not be able to manipulate a single gust of air.”_

That’s what he had told her the day she had asked him to train her. Since the Air Nomads had been killed one hundred years ago, Aella thankfully, had no one to insist that she engage in the lifestyle of an Air Nomad nun. The Guru had understood that once she learned to control, to harness her bending better and inevitably move out to roam the world, she would be hunted down by the Fire Nation for simply being an airbender, so he decided to teach her techniques that would be better suited for combat and swift travel. 

The angry fire-child had come out of nowhere, taking a second to watch as a playful breeze had rustled her hair, tugging her clothing in a way that seemed childish, as if the wind wanted to play and have her dance in its currents, before launching a fireball her way while shouting in a squeakily high voice in danger of breaking that second that reminded Aella that the Avatar was last noted as an airbender. 

Yelping in surprise, she lost her balance and tumbled off of the rock, landing softly on another lower spire and launching herself upwards again. When her feet touched the rock again, hugging her staff to her chest while she leaned on it, the fire-child had been joined by an older, more jaded descendant of Agni, his power radiating off him in waves. 

Shifting her attention back to the fire-child, she took in the barely healed scar, one that simply _reeked_ of a wound that was personal in every sense of the word _,_ her senses being assaulted with brief memories of pure _agony,_ and heartbreak.

Looking closer, the fire-child couldn’t have been older than fourteen, the scar making him look older. 

His age came as a shock to the young airbender because she was only fourteen herself and here he was already having left the dragon’s nest. 

“I’m guessing you’re here to try your luck at capturing the last airbender little dragon?” 

Aella could barely keep the scorn out of her voice. The little dragon’s people had slaughtered hers, hunting those not residing at the four temples for sport and reward, just like they had done with the dragons. 

“I’m here to capture the Avatar, _girl,_ so come quietly, and we promise not to hurt you.”

Aella scoffed. “I’m not the Avatar, _boy,_ ” she took a particularly savage delight in the scowl that twisted his lips as she copied his mocking tone.

“I’m simply a lowly airbender, not worthy enough to look upon your Agni-blessed faces.” 

Dipping into a low bow, Aella almost missed the way he flinched as she mentioned the ‘Agni-blessed’ part. 

_Hmm, maybe a sore spot? His daddy threw him out because he wasn’t worthy and now he has to capture the Avatar to prove himself?_ Aella shook her head, grinning to herself as she turned her gaze onto the older dragon. 

“Airbender, you will come with me on my ship and will teach me how to fight the Avatar.” 

The little dragon was shouting in that ridiculously high-pitched voice, his aggressive stance meant to intimidate her, but all it did was remind Aella of a cat-owl kit fluffing up its fur and feathers to make itself seem bigger. 

“Okay.” 

He faltered, expression falling slack in surprise, clearly expecting her to put up more of a fight. 

“I- _what?_ ” Aella grinned, standing up straight and twirling her staff in her hand. 

“Well, I mean you’re clearly not going to budge on this, and I rather like my skin un-burnt thank you very much.” And there was the flinch, the scowl slotting back into place on his face, (Ooh, that rhymed- _focus_.) Clearly she had touched a nerve, but then again, she would have been concerned if it wasn’t a sore spot. 

Placing the end of her staff on the ground and launching herself onto the outcropping of rock that the two dragons were standing on, purposely not mentioning how they immediately slid into defensive stances, smoke beginning to curl off of their hands. 

Dropping her staff on the ground and holding her hands out in front of her, wrists together, Aella waited for them to regain their bearings. 

The little dragon, who was shorter than Aella as she smugly noted, bound her hands together with some rope, doing a fairly good job with the knot, the older dragon picking up her staff as another firebender, who had not been there previously been there, grabbed ahold of her arm, tugging her down the thin path to the water where an iron ship laid in waiting. 

Twisting around and digging her heels into the ground, Aella spoke to the two dragons who were still standing where they were. “At least tell me your names so I don’t have to refer to you as old and young bonfires or another fire joke.”

They turned around, watching as the soldier turned her around and shoved her to her knees hissing in her ear. “You will show respect to Prince Zuko and Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation, the Dragon of the West.” 

Safe to say, Aella did not expect that, not at all. 


	2. Sound Travels On a Metal Ship

There was a distinct clanging that reverberated throughout the ship. Most ignored it since the airbender wouldn’t know that sound, especially the thick and reinforced iron that made up most of the chains and manacles on the ship, against the walls of the ship, travelled extremely well on a metal ship.

There was one, however, that seemed to not be able to even tolerate the sound.

“Will she _shut up_!” The teenage prince jumped from his spot in his room where he was supposed to be meditating, candles flaring along with his anger.

“I do not think so Prince Zuko, sound travels very well on metal ships and our guest wouldn’t have that knowledge seeing as she has probably lived in or around the temple for many years.”

Plopping down, Zuko sighed heavily, his seemingly permanent scowl giving way to an exasperated eye roll. Crossing his legs into a lotus form once again, he closed his eyes and breathed, syncing his breathing to the flame of the candles.

_Clang_

The only indication that Zuko had heard was the twitch of the corner of his mouth, turning down before smoothing out.

_Clang_

His eyebrow twitched, the candles before him flaring with the extra forceful breath that he took.

_Clang_

His fists clenched tightly, the flames of the candle glowing a dangerous red colour.

_Clang_

Eyes twitching, the pale skin of his face turning a faint red colour as the blood rushed to his head while his anger rose. 

_Clang_

The candles flared, scorching the metal ceiling as he leapt to his feet, hands balled into fists as he stormed from the room, his scowl deepening with each footstep as they too reverberated throughout the ship. His crewmembers wisely kept away from his path.

As he stormed down to the brig level, stomping his way to her cell. She was laying on her back with one of her legs bent toward her torso, while the other leg rested across her knee. She turned her head to the side to look at him with a rather startled look on her face.

“Will. You. _Stop._ ”

Speaking haltingly, enunciating the words as much as he could.

“Stop what firebug? I’m literally doing nothing except being bored out of my Spirits-damned mind.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the inevitable headache

Taking a deep breath to calm himself before he threw a fireball, Zuko waved his hand towards the cast-iron manacles. “Stop throwing the chains against the wall. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a _metal_ ship with little to no other material to dampen the sound. Pretty much everything is below deck. Sound travels really well on a metal ship, ergo, _we can hear every little move you make._ ”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, _oh_.”

The airbender contemplated that little tidbit of information. “So what youre saying, is that as long as I’m not making noise below deck, I can do whatever I want?”

“I never said anything even remotely close to that.”

“Yes, you did.” Zuko took one look at the grin on her face and scowled.

“No, I didn’t.” Her smirk grew just a little bit wider.

“Yes, you did.”

“ _No,_ I didn’t.” Zuko made sure to enunciate the no since the airbender clearly didn’t understand what no meant.”

“ _Yes,_ you did.” And now she was copying him.

“What game are you trying to play airbender. I never said that and you know it.”

Her smile curled into a smirk, her chained arms crossing.

“But you did say it.”

“No, I didn’t”

“Yes, you did.”

“No.”

“ _Yes._ ”

“ _No._ ”

“No.”

“Yes-wait.”

“Ha.”

Zuko scowled harder while she smugged.

Turning around, he stomped away while calling over his shoulder. “I said no such thing _airbender._ ”

Locking himself in his room, Zuko attempted to meditate. Instead, he threw himself face-first onto the futon, screaming into his pillow as he did so.

A few hours later after Zuko took an impromptu nap, (If anyone asked, he did no such thing) he stalked out of his room onto the deck to do some firebending practice with one of the crewmembers (Teruko), stopping in his tracks when he saw his Uncle and the airbender, who didn’t have any chains wrapped around her wrists like they were when he left her down in the brig, sitting at a small table sipping tea.

“Ah, Zuko. Join Miss Aella and me for a cup of calming tea.”

Smoke was literally coming from his fists and nostrils, Teruko sighing in resignation as she sunk into the first stance of the Monkey-scorpion kata. 


End file.
